Tabloid Tales of the Past

June 20, 2002

Better stock up on mosquito repellent. Although county and state health officials say it may be too early to tell for sure if mosquitoes will be out in full force this summer, they said it won’t hurt — or sting —to take some necessary precautions.

Rome Free Academy and the Candle Light Shop on Black River Boulevard were damaged this morning when deer jumped through windows in the buildings, police said.

June 20, 1982

Union workers at Pettibone Corp. are back at work today with a new two-year contract in their pockets. But how long their jobs will be available depends on incoming orders for cranes.

June 20, 1972

Unemployment in the Rome-Utica metropolitan area dropped from 9.9 percent in April to 9.3 percent in May.

June 20, 1962

The directors of the Rome Girl Scout Council have acknowledged that their efforts to retain their charter and avoid being consolidated into the Foothills Council have failed.

June 20, 1952

Three homes were damaged by fire near North Western yesterday when a high voltage line, snapped off by a wind-felled tree limb, sent electricity through the telephone system. They were the dwellings of Albert Hall, Joseph V. Flo and Benjamin Cady.

Today is Wednesday, June 20, the 172nd day of 2012. There are 194 days left in the year. Summer arrives at 7:09 p.m. Eastern time.

Today in History

On June 20, 1782, Congress approved the Great Seal of the United States, featuring the emblem of the bald eagle.

On this date:

In 1791, King Louis XVI of France and his family attempted to flee the country in the so-called "Flight to Varennes," but were caught.

In 1837, Queen Victoria acceded to the British throne following the death of her uncle, King William IV.

In 1863, West Virginia became the 35th state.

In 1893, a jury in New Bedford, Mass., found Lizzie Borden not guilty of the ax murders of her father and stepmother.

In 1921, U.S. Rep. Alice Mary Robertson, R-Okla., became the first woman to preside over a session of the House of Representatives.

In 1947, Benjamin "Bugsy" Siegel was shot dead at the Beverly Hills, Calif., mansion of his girlfriend, Virginia Hill, apparently at the order of mob associates.

In 1948, the variety series "Toast of the Town," hosted by Ed Sullivan, debuted on CBS television.

In 1963, the United States and Soviet Union signed an agreement to set up a "hotline" between the two superpowers.

In 1967, boxer Muhammad Ali was convicted in Houston of violating Selective Service laws by refusing to be drafted. (Ali’s conviction was ultimately overturned by the Supreme Court).

In 1972, three days after the arrest of the Watergate burglars, President Richard Nixon met at the White House with his chief of staff, H.R. Haldeman; the secretly made tape recording of this meeting ended up with the notorious 181/2-minute gap.

In 1979, ABC News correspondent Bill Stewart was shot to death in Managua, Nicaragua, by a member of President Anastasio Somoza’s national guard.

For the second time, President George W. Bush vetoed an embryonic stem cell bill as he urged scientists toward what he termed "ethically responsible" research. Sammy Sosa, playing for the Texas Rangers after a year out of baseball, hit his 600th home run, making him the fifth player to reach the milestone. (The round-tripper came in the fifth inning of Texas’ 7-3 victory over Sosa’s former team, the Chicago Cubs.)

One year ago

Syrian President Bashar Assad promised a national dialogue to consider political reforms, but his vague overtures to a pro-democracy uprising fell flat as protesters took to the streets shouting "Liar!" and demanding his ouster. "Jackass" star Ryan Dunn was killed in a fiery car crash near Philadelphia; he was 34.